Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario got away with a clear handball during Tottenham Hotspur vs Brentford in the Premier League. It has now been explained why VAR did not get involved.
The game was finely balanced at the time with Spurs leading 2-1. The away team had taken the lead in spectacular fashion with Bryan Mbeumo netting an acrobatic finish after just 22 seconds.
However, Tottenham didn't take long to equalise with Dominic Solanke grabbing his first goal for his new club in the eighth minute. Before halftime, Brennan Johnson had then given Spurs a lead.
In the second 45, Vicario raced out of his goal to clear the ball. However, the Italian's momentum took him out of the box and with Mikkel Damsgaard lurking, the goalkeeper didn't want to pull out of the challenge.
Consequently, he then patted the ball with his hands, not once, or twice but three times. There can be no doubt that the last touch was outside the box but no foul was called.
Why Guglielmo Vicario Was Not Punished
VAR couldn't get involved
In the end, Vicario – who came under fire for his display vs Arsenal last weekend – completely got away with his blatant handball. Not only did the referee miss the foul in the heat of the moment, but then VAR failed to intervene.
When a goalkeeper makes such a clear mistake, deliberately handling the ball outside of the box, fans may expect VAR to punish the player with a red card. However, the officials evidently felt as though his mistake wasn't bad enough to warrant a dismal.
As VAR can not get involved to dish out yellow cards, no punishment was given – not even a free-kick. Indeed, the technology can only be involved in four situations: Goal or no goal, penalty or no penalty, direct red card, and mistaken identity.
Vicario's foul, in theory, probably should have warranted a free-kick and a yellow card had the referee spotted it live. As that doesn't meet any of the criteria above, VAR was not able to change the on-field decision.
Frank Unhappy with Blatant Handball
Got booked for protests
Journalist Alasdair Gold noted the mistake, while also spotting that Brentford manager Thomas Frank and defender Kristoffer Ajer both went into the book for their protests.
He wrote: "Vicario gets away with one there. He comes out to grab a ball and juggles it, the third time of trying to grab it, clearly touching it outside of his penalty area. Ajer and Thomas Frank both booked for protesting against the officials missing it."